The Database, a Nielsen podcast

This special episode of the Database delves into the new reality that many Americans are facing in light of COVID-19: spending more time at home, including the time we spend working. We explore the effects on our daily routines and getting everything done, as well as how it's shaping our media consumption. 

In this special episode, recorded during CES 2020, Marie Lalleman, Executive Vice President, Global Client Solutions at Nielsen, and Tina Daniels, Agency Sales Director, Google share how they've navigated gender inequality in their own careers and how they're helping to pave the way for other women, particularly in the technology space.

This special episode of the Database podcast, recorded during CES 2020, features Stephanie Llamas, Head of Research and XR at SuperData, a Nielsen company, and Vinay Narayan, Vice President of Platform Strategy and Developer Community at HTC Vive. While our conversation started out focused on the impact that the various types of XR will have on the gaming industry, we learned that these emerging technologies will ultimately benefit much broader industries than just entertainment.

On this special episode, recorded at CES, Kelly Abcarian, General Manager for Nielsen's Advanced Video Advertising Group, and Dan Callahan, SVP of Data Strategy and Innovation at FOX, talk about what the beta release of Nielsen's Addressable TV platform means for the industry, as well as what addressable advertising in the linear TV realm will look like.

This special episode, recorded during Advertising Week, focuses on addressable advertising and how the media industry can use it and other approaches to best reach the audiences they seek to engage with—particularly women. Our conversation includes Kelly Abcarian, general manager for Nielsen's Advanced Video Advertising Group, Jessica Hindlian, SVP in Nielsen's Advanced Video Advertising Group, and Tracey Scheppach, CEO and Co-Founder of Matter More Media.

This episode is a second exploration of an age-old question within the advertising industry: Is it better to target brand buyers or non-brand buyers. To shed light on the topic, we brought back Leslie Wood, chief research officer at Nielsen Catalina Solutions, and Linghan Wang, Director of Research and Development at Nielsen Catalina Solutions, to share some new insights from their “How to Build Brands” study, which focuses on three-and-a-half years worth of retail data. 

In this episode, we explore why consumers are increasingly focused on the quality of their pets food; what claims and attributes they're searching for; and how can brands and retailers can stand out in this growing industry. Then we learn how Nielsen can connect the dots for advertisers and help them connect with pet owners through media. Our guests include Maria Lange, the Client Director for Nielsen's Pet vertical, James Restivo, the Commercial Lead for Nielsen's pet vertical, Peter Katsingris, SVP, Audience Insights at Nielsen, and Michael Receno, from Nielsen's Media Communications team.

Americans aren't drinking the way they were just a few years ago. An abundance of choice and the influence of health and wellness trends are re-shaping behaviors and preferences. There are ways, however, to break through. That's because today's consumers are seeking experiences—both in their glasses and at their watering holes of choice. Our guests include Danny Brager, who leads Nielsen's beverage alcohol practice, Danelle Kosmal, a VP in Nielsen's beverage alcohol practice, and Matthew Crompton, client service director for Nielsen CGA, which measures on-premise consumption of alcohol at bars, restaurants, nightclubs and other on-premise establishments.  

This episode focuses on how digital video is helping shape the content landscape. Our conversation with Kevin Rini, SVP Product Leadership within Nielsen Media, and Sal Tuzzeo, VP, Communications, Nielsen Media, delves into the growth of stand-alone streaming services, how linear options are keeping pace, the myriad ways in which video is available to consumers and how content creators are experimenting to deliver on evolving consumer demands.

This episode, which is the second of a two-part look at the path to purchase, includes two segments: first, a discussion with Jenny Frazier, global commercial leader for Nielsen BASES, about the role of innovation along the consumer path to purchase, with a focus on omnichannel; and second, a conversation with Mariko Carpenter, VP of Strategic Community Alliances, at Nielsen, about how Asian American consumers are leaning heavily into digital in their consumer journey and helping to drive shifts across other consumer segments.

In this episode, we're exploring how brands are incorporating social good into their daily business practices, how they're engaging their employees to amplify their impact and retain talent, and how social good can be good for communities and the bottom line. Our guests include Andrea Bertels, VP of Global Responsibility and Sustainability at Nielsen, Melanie LaGrande, VP of Social Responsibility for Major League Baseball, and Julia Wilson, VP of Global Responsibility and Sustainability at Nielsen.

In this episode, Marissa McArdle, VP, Product Leadership, Nielsen, and Leslie Pitterson, VP, Media Communications, Nielsen Global Media, explore the role that digital plays in today's ad landscape. This includes the importance of thinking about campaigns holistically, the challenges brands can overcome with the right data, the unique lift that digital delivers, as well as how things like connected TV and other connected devices factor into the overall ad realm.

This episode focuses on the path to purchase across today's retail landscape, with a focus on omnichannel strategies and e-commerce. This episode's guests are Lauren Fernandes, manager of strategy and analytics at Nielsen, and Ken Cassar, VP Strategy and Insights at Rakuten.

While we've been tracking sustainable intentions and spending trends among consumers for some time, this episode explores what impact these trends have on businesses. Our guests are George Callard, chief legal officer at Nielsen, Julia Wilson, VP, Vice President, Global Responsibility & Sustainability, Tessie Petion, Head of ESG Research, Americas, HSBC Securities, and Evan Harvey, Global Head of Sustainability, Nasdaq.

For the more than $90 billion advertising industry in the U.S., the Upfronts, which take place in spring, are a key investment period. That's because the Upfronts is when brands and marketers can buy commercial TV airtime for the upcoming TV season. In this episode, Amanda Tarpey, SVP of Product Leadership, and Andrea Lipstein, SVP, Product Marketing, for Nielsen's Global Media business, share their insights into the role of the upfronts and how the media industry as a whole is coping with the widespread changes in American viewing habits.

Today's retail landscape has a cheating problem. That's because consumers have more choice and access to products than ever, and they're growing increasingly comfortable with trying new brands. On this episode, we're exploring why consumers are cheating on brands; what brands can do to turn the trends into opportunity; how brands can use reference data to create personalized experiences; and which data puts them in the right position to succeed. Our guests include Scott McKenzie, Nielsen Intelligence Leader, Lauren Fernandes, manager of strategy and analytics at Nielsen, Julie Currie, who leads Nielsen's global retail product team, and Joel Percy, head of business consulting at ciValue.

Big things are happening in the podcast space. But are podcasts ready for prime time from a business perspective? On this episode, we're exploring the business of podcasts: Who the players are; how content gets distributed; what the advertising options look like; and how data is growing in importance in podcast ad campaigns. Our Nielsen guests on this episode include Bruce Supovitz, SVP of National Audio Services, Nielsen Audio, Tony Hereau, VP Client Analytics, Nielsen Audio, Brendan Monaghan, CEO of Megaphone, Damian Garbaccio, EVP, Nielsen Media, James McNamara, SVP, Nielsen, and Rachel Lowenstein, Associate Director at Mindshare.

For fans, sports are a favorite form of entertainment around the world. But for the athletes, teams, sponsors, rights holders and others, sports are also big business. This episode of The Database explores the ins and outs of sports marketing. With digital devices increasing fans' access to their favorite sports, as well as new ones, the opportunities for brands and rights holders are growing—provided they can engage today's fans. Our Nielsen guests on this episode include Jon Stainer, Managing Director, Sports - Americas; Max Barnett, Global Head of Digital, Sports; and Kathy Lubner, VP, Research, Sports.

On this episode, we talk about the broadening scope of sustainability, the influence that consumers are having across the sustainability landscape, as well as how companies can deliver on consumer needs while staying focused on sustainability at the corporate level. Our guests on this episode are Crystal Barnes, Nielsen's SVP of Global Responsibility & Sustainability and Executive Director of the Nielsen Foundation, Kendra Peavy, VP of Global Communications at S'well, Sarah Schmansky, VP in Nielsen's Growth & Strategy Team, Tuesday Hagiwara, a Director on Nielsen's communications team, and Julia Wilson, Director of Global Responsibility and Sustainability at Nielsen.

On this episode, we take a look at the innovation process, including whether agile processes can work in the FMCG market. We discuss the importance of understanding problems before developing solutions for them, as well as how it's not always the first-to-market products that stand the test of time. Our guests on this episode are Jenny Frazier, SVP, Innovation at Nielsen, and Chris Fosdick, Partner at the Cambridge Group.

This episode of The Database explores who today's Latinos are—their demographics, language preferences and technology use. In addition, we explore how data can help brands authentically connect with Hispanic consumers. Our guests in this episode include Stacie Di Armas, VP of Strategic Initiatives and Consumer Engagement at Nielsen; Norelie Garcia, Head of Corporate Communications for AT&T Latin America's Rio division and a member of Nielsen's Hispanic Latino Advisory Council; and Andrea Pimienta and Kelly Castellon, co-leads of our Hispanic Organization of Leaders in Action, also known as HOLA.

On this episode, we're exploring what it takes to be a brand in today's marketplace, as well as how brand marketers can use consumer data and technology to their advantage when it comes to engagement and campaign execution. We'll also explore the private-label space, where the tides have been shifting away from multinational brands in recent years. Our guests in this episode include Leslie Wood, Chief Researcher at Nielsen Catalina Solutions, Linghan Wang, Senior Manager of Research and Development at Nielsen Catalina Solutions, Brett House, VP of Product Marketing and Strategy at Nielsen, and Lauren Fernandes, Manager of Strategy and Analytics at Nielsen.

On this episode, we're going to take a look at local TV and out-of-home viewing—who's watching, the contributions they add to the overall viewing picture and how networks, advertisers and agencies should be looking at the evolving trends in the local and out-of-home viewing scenario. Our Nielsen guests on this episode include Gerardo Guzman, SVP Product Leadership, Justin LaPorte, VP of Local Audience Insights, Jenn Carton, Director of Product Leadership, and Gorki DeLosantos, Director of U.S. Media Communications.

This episode of The Database explores the growing universe of streaming video and over-the-top content. We delve into the technologies consumers are using to tap into this content, the growth in the amount of content they're consuming, as well as how these trends are shaping the overall video viewing landscape. Our Nielsen guests on this episode include Peter Katsingris, SVP of Audience Insights, Brian Fuhrer, SVP of Product Leadership, Sal Tuzzeo, VP of U.S. Media Communications, and Gorki Delossantos, Director of U.S. Media Communications.

This episode explores the multicultural consumer of today. We learn what drives African Americans, Asian Americans and U.S. Hispanics to spend, what categories they outspend the general population, why they're such important consumers for brands to pay attention to and how marketers can reach and engage these shoppers. Our guests on this episode include Cheryl Grace, SVP of U.S. Strategic Community Alliances and Consumer Engagement, Nielsen; Mariko Carpenter, VP of Strategic Community Alliances, Nielsen; Stacie de Armas, VP of Strategic Community Alliances, Nielsen; Vanna Tran, Director of Multicultural Growth and Strategy, Nielsen; Andrew Mccaskill, SVP of Communications for Diversity & Inclusion, Nielsen; Gorki Delossantos, Director of U.S. Media Communications, Nielsen; and Wilburt Carpenter, Manager of Events and Industry Partnerships and Co-lead of the SABLE employee resource group, Nielsen.

For the past 50 years or so, the process of buying TV ads has remained fairly consistent—and pretty straightforward. Recently, however, interest in more targeted ad buying is bubbling up, largely because that's how the process works online. Our guests include George Tsivin, SVP of Product Leadership at Nielsen, Thomas Eaton, SVP at Nielsen Catalina Solutions, James McNamara, SVP of Client Strategy at Nielsen, and Jason Burke, VP of Strategy at clypd.

This episode of The Database delves into the world of esports, or competitive video gaming. We look at the overall landscape, who the fans are, the platforms that gamers consume esports on, and what opportunities exist for brands. Our guests include Nicole Pike, Gina Katzmark, Nathan Lindberg, Quynn and Casey Thibodeau, and Shawn Win.

With consumers generating so much data, brands and marketers have their work cut out for them. Fortunately, tools like data management platforms, data visualization and artificial intelligence can help businesses avoid feeling inundated and unsure how to put big data to work—no matter how big it gets. This episode of The Database explores ways that brands can tap into big data, segment audiences with it, visualize it and develop meaningful content and messages with it. Our guests include Nancy Neumann, SVP, Nielsen Marketing Cloud; Mike Higgins, SVP of Technology, Nielsen Rhiza; Ronjan Sikdar, Team Lead for Nielsen Rhiza; Pete DiMaria, Head of Content Architecture and Discovery, Nielsen Gracenote; and Markus Cremer, Head of Applied Research, Nielsen Gracenote.

More than nearly any other fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, the beauty industry is guided by trends. And more than ever, trends are starting small and growing into something far more mainstream. So how can brands and marketers understand what's a fad and what's a trend that will stick around for a while? This episode of The Database dives into three trends that are transforming the beauty and personal care industries and much more. Our guests on this episode include Jordan Rost, VP, Consumer Insights, Nielsen; Cheryl Grace, SVP of U.S. Strategic Community Alliances and Consumer Engagement, Nielsen; Mariko Carpenter, VP of Strategic Community Alliances, Nielsen; and Devon Bergman, CEO and co-founder of Social Standards.

The rules to the emerging market playbook is changing. This episode of The Database podcast discusses the evolving playbook as well as considerations global product companies should keep top of mind when considering doing business in emerging markets.

Can you imagine your life without your smartphone? What about the computer you use at work? Or your TV at night? All of these devices—and countless others—help Americans connect with content in more ways than ever before. And they're using these devices more than ever. Even though there's only 24 hours in a day, U.S. adults spend about 11 hours a day with our devices—that's more time than was spent two years ago. At the same time, media devices are increasingly digitally connected. In fact, 87% of American households now own at least one smartphone. And when it comes to digital devices, it's impossible to ignore the generation driving many of the trends around these devices—Millennials. In this episode of The Database, a podcast from Nielsen, we're diving into media, specifically how much time we spend with devices, which devices are growing in popularity and how Millennials are driving trends across these devices. Our guests on this episode include Peter Katsingris, our SVP of Audience Insights, and Ronjan Sikdar, VP, Product Leadership, as well as three members of our Millennials on Millennials program, led by Janel Koval: Alex Berg, Casey Brown, Rob Leon.

Americans are striving to be healthier—and that means they're growing more concerned about everything from the ingredients in the products they buy to the way they take care of their overall well-being. Health and wellness means something different for everyone. For example, 63% of us are trying to eat healthier. For 47 million households, it means managing an ailment with diet. It's also about the ingredients we buy. For example, 20% of Americans say that probiotics are important to them. In this episode of The Database, a podcast from Nielsen, we're delving into what's driving the changes we see in health and wellness, talking about what modern health looks like for different generations and illuminating areas where manufacturers and retailers can capitalize on whitespace opportunities. Our guests on this episode include Kirsten Londono, SVP of Nielsen's Growth & Strategy team, Matt Lally, Manager in Nielsen's Fresh Growth & Strategy Team, and Alexander Gillett, CEO of HowGood.

Whether it's the sound of holiday hits on the radio or holiday movies or TV programming, media plays a big role in getting us into the spirit of the holidays at the end of the year. By the beginning of December, around 500 radio stations across the U.S. switch to an holiday music format. When it comes to TV, almost 100 million homes across the country tuned in to some kind of holiday programming last year. And these numbers highlight the opportunities radio and TV provide for brands and advertisers to reach eager holiday shoppers. This episode of The Database, a podcast from Nielsen, dives in to media around the holidays. A group of experts explore the role radio and TV play in getting us into the spirit, who's consuming holiday programing, and the opportunities holiday programming holds for programmers—and advertisers. Our guests on this episode include Jon Miller, VP, Audience Insights, Nielsen; Peter Katsingris, SVP, Audience Insights, Nielsen; Sal Tuzzeo, VP, Watch Communications, Nielsen; and Jess Aguirre, SVP, Media Research and Consumer Insights, Hallmark.

Disruption. Change. Evolution. Digitization. All of these words factor into the equation that's shaping the U.S. fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. The way consumers shop is changing, and that change is being driven by much more than just e-commerce. In fact, in the third quarter, e-commerce accounted for about 8% of total retail sales in the U.S. That will certainly change over time, but so will other things. In this episode of The Database, a podcast from Nielsen, a group of experts weigh in on the various changes that are taking place across the FMCG space, highlighting their effect on sales as well doorways to growth opportunities. Our guests on this episode include Jordan Rost, VP of Consumer Insights, Sarah Schmansky, Director in Nielsen's Fresh Growth & Strategy Team, Matt Lally, Manager in Nielsen's Fresh Growth & Strategy Team, and Ameneh Atai, SVP of Business Development for the Nielsen Marketing Cloud.

When does the U.S. winter holiday season start? Many would likely say the Thanksgiving weekend kicks off the holidays, with people starting to put up decorations and shopping for gifts on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. However, over the last few years, more and more Americans have started their holiday shopping earlier. This year, 26% of Americans started their holiday shopping before the beginning of October, compared with 24% in 2016. So why are consumers starting their holiday shopping sooner? It turns out it's part of a phenomenon called “holiday creep.” In the first episode of The Database, a podcast from Nielsen, Jordan Rost, our VP of Consumer Insights, and Traci Brodnax, a communications manager on our Buy team, share what's behind this new trend. The episode also dives into what shoppers are looking to buy this year and where brands and retailers can find opportunities to reach eager shoppers this year.

In this welcome episode, Bill and Katie, two editors at Nielsen, give you a taste of Nielsen's new podcast, The Database. From what you buy to the media you consume and much more, Nielsen has the data brands and marketers need to understand today's quickly changing marketplace. And this podcast aims to explore trends across industries using these data and insights.